Casting Polymorph with this more martial flavoured build would be like "You change your anatomical structure solider and you do it now!" And then some body horror happens.
Beginning of video: This’ll probably be a bard. End of video: Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
Permanent DM here. I love using these builds as bosses against my party of 6! If you’re ever short on ideas, I would love to see videos that use some of these as builds for encounters for DMs. Ex. This Battlefield Commander Hobgoblin, guarded by two pole arm bugbear, and a couple needler goblins riding wargs, wreaking havoc on our players.
If you want the MoM thing to catch on you need a gimmick. Suggestion: When you announce the race, use a line like "This isn't any old regular Hobgoblin, this is your MoM's Hobgoblin!"
I've been playing a battlemaster 5/order cleric 3 with inspiring leader and he's a blast. Giving attacks to the rogue, paladin and barbarian is just awesome. One of my favorite strategies is casting bless, so the paladin or barbarian can attack with an extra d4, then action surge for extra attack. First attack is distracting strike and then commander's strike, so the rogue can have advantage and a d4 to land his sneak attack.
@@andrewh5212 Absolutely. I just do this to also give an attack to someone else in the same turn. One attack from bless and another one from commander's strike.
I'm not saying I played an Armorer shortly after one of his videos. I'm also not saying that my friend and I are playing a Centaur Rogue and Custom Lineage Fighter in our Tomb of Annihilation campaign we just started after watching the Mount & Blade two-parter (which we nicknamed Strider & Rider). But I'm also NOT not saying those things...
At 34:52 when you said most of us have a lute , I laughed thinking about my Bugbear Bard with his +1 adamantine reinforced lute . It functions as a club but gives a loud bonk when he hits someone with it .
I think my most effective character to date combined buffing/debuffing, control, and secondary tanking and healing. When the enemy has trouble moving or hitting, any summoned wall or creature can present insurmountable barriers to damaging players. And when players can hit back unhindered, usually buffed, the monsters went away fast.
Armorer is pretty great, I recommend it. Just reached Level 9 with mine. Does run into the problem of having so few spell levels and slots, and a limited list of spells / damage types. At one point in level 7 / 8, I felt a little useless for several combat encounters when the monsters were all resistant to thunder and acid damage (I'm mainly in Defender Arcane armor mode), with Caustic Brew as a commonly used damage-over-time. But I'm finding ways to diversify. And now that I hit level 9 there's much better options available in the spell list!
I love how you went back to fighter. It definitely keeps it feeling from being a caster, especially if the DM is will you let you flavor spells as inspiring words or battle cries. You never cease to amaze me with the concepts. Thank you!
Played this today for a lvl 20 one shot. No one had any idea what I was going to be playing. It was fantastic! Had a lot of fun with this. Thank you for all that work you put into it.
This character is literally Star Lord from the guardians of the galaxy game. Orders people around while doing ranged attacks then gives great speeches to inspire the gang.
I loved that episode. I really hope that you'll make more characters like this. Although numerical comparison has its own appeal, I love the flavour of this one. PS: Never stop putting the outtakes in. They are always great. ❤
This is a character I really feel inspired by (pun intended!) I especially enjoy the emphasis on staying true to the concept without crunching every number in comparison to other builds while still building a powerful character. Great stuff, Colby :-)
Such a quirky build. I love this channel so much, but this was an unexpected breath of fresh air. A character that was so focused on a theme and not holding itself to numbers. Love it. Particularly dear to my heart because I played a similar idea a while back. A young and aspiring Half Orc general who inspired his teammates by striding valiantly to the front and meeting the enemy while shouting out encouragement. Did 3 Battlemaster and then started in on Lore Bard (although I was SEVERELY tempted to go Galmour) only played to level 6, but such fun. My teammates were a Swashbuckler and a Vengeance Paladin, so they made great use of Commanders Strike. I would stride forward in shining plate mail and use my expertise in Athletics to grapple and slam enemies to the ground for them as the tank.
I had a similar build idea (a Warhammer 40K commissar as motivation) but it consisted of whisper bard 6, battle master 3, Paladin 2, and 9 order cleric. The opening round of casting bless as a bonus action, attacking twice and smiting, maneuvering, and using the bards psychic blades on someone made it theoretically feel like they were leading by example.
This is great inspiration. I was already working on a mastermind/battlemaster. Hes an agent/tactician who is specifically designed to be amazing at finding things and noticing flaws in the enemy ranks. Perfect combo of support and damage. This video is great help in making him functional
I wanna commission with Randall so bad, man. He’s so popular, his commissions are never open! He kills it every time. Hearing about Sarge makes me wanna play this my next game.
I feel you dude... I have so many characters I would happily pay Randall to draw! But of course we respect that he has to take time in his work... even if it hurts to see them closed every time xD
I think MOTM has released this channel from the grip of Custom Lineage. This is what, the 4th video in a row using the new versions of races in the book?
Silvery Barbs on an order cleric is insane. Because using Voice of Authority they can attack immediately, because the Silvery Barbs spell affected them. And they get to do so with advantage. NEED another rogue in the party, preferably straight rogue so you can proc that sweet sweet sneak attack damage twice per round.
Alternative to the 34 min point of bard orator, you could also go for something like the character having battle drums, horn or even battle standard that doubles as a magical theremin (that when the wind blows or shifts causes the interference crackle/essentially cannon boom rather than having to smack a antenna some form of resonator).
I love this addition. Musical instruments were often used in historical battles to give orders and such, so it works really well here. Using a horn to signal your allies to strike, just great. Apparently bagpipes were also used like this, so don't sleep on the opportunity to inspire fear and confidence like a Scottish highlander.
This is o é of your most sophisticated builds and definitely not for the feint of heart or newly initiated. That being said I think this would be a really fun build to play in my current campaign that has 4 other players who are not very experienced and this would let me help them be the best they could be and not steal the show. I could also see this as a really good NPC that is used to help guide the party. Kind of a Gandulf who doesn't get involved in combat but directs things on the right path. An awesome build
This is what I was looking for. Thank you! It seems you already had this character. I really enjoy your content and look forward to Tuesdays. Keep up the great work!
20:20 With fighter and the bugbear feature, you can you an action to help one ally, use a bonus action to help another ally and then action surge to help another ally. Helping 3 people during one turn! How wild 😂
I would love to see you build a character built around using the “unconventional” tools and gear such as grappling hooks, caltrops, ball bearings, flasks/vials of holy water/alchemist fire, oil, acid, etc for their battlefield “weapons”. As well as having and using numerous tools and equipment for outside of combat utility options. I may be the only person who wants to see a build like this but.. Oh well.. I have to ask. Haha
Played a version of this build yesterday (lvl 10, Rogue 4/Bard 5/Cleric 1). Five Lvl10s against a Hellfire Engine. I dealt not a single point of damage, but both the Paladin and the Rogue greatly appreciated being able to move (Mantle of Inspiration) or attack (Voice of Authority) on my turn, as well as the constant stream of temp HP. Hell the Paladin even made the kill by attacking with advantage, on my turn, through a bonus action Fey Gift of Hospitality followed by Cure Wounds proccing Voice of Authority. Thanks very much for sharing this one, I can definitively say that it's a blast to run.
Love everything about this character, Colby. In fact, you've just inspired the build for one of the main antagonists in my campaign - think Gus Fring as an ends justify the means, St Cuthbert cult leader, trying to terraform a desert into an oasis. Your work building brilliant characters is obviously top tier, but this alternative kind of character, more narratively leaning almost, has illuminated your craft in a very new inspiring way. Much obliged, my friend. Peace
I've seen someone bait and switch an enemy and shove that same enemy of a cliff. It was glorious! This character feels like a variation on a paladin build, or subclass.
I was just building a character for a game designed around our group doing heists and two players are playing goblin and bugbear so I decided to theme with them as a hobgoblin and and wanted to play a tactician like character, so I started building my character this same way starting with mastermind and going battle master. I Got stuck on where to go with it then you released this video. Thank you for getting me unstuck!
when you get the heavy armor proficiency, you definitely should get plate asap cause you should have a horse by now a be riding it as often as possible for both thematic and mechanical reasons. I mean basically every piece of art depicting a military commander in history is on a horse.
I really like the idea of using inspiring leader during a short rest. You can flavor it as, going around and giving personal words of encouragement, rather than a big bombastic speech.
Instade of useing the comand spell from Mantle of Majesty on an enemy you could use it on your alley saying something like "attack" or "advice" they can choose to fail the save and get a reaction attack with Voice of Authority then attack or move on their turn, which they were going to do anyway.
I have been playing a similar build for about 1 year and listening you talk about it is just so reassuring, thank you one detail though: think that bardic inspiration is proactive and that requires much more tactical thinking, in contrast artificer flash of genius is reactive and it covers one of the things that the build lacks a little bit: saving throws I've build my battle field commander as a fighter 3/order cleric 1/alchemist 9 my healing word had 2 * int modifier, and whenever a friend rolled bad on a save, I could add +5 to their save alchemist was the odd ball, I could have gone with artillerist for the defense turret, but that competes with healing word, so alchemist was thematically better for me, the 2d6 temp HP from the potion was nice and now and then I got a good effect like extra speed or +1 AC so my party members could buff before a fight (provided we knew we were about to storm the BBEG room)
Love these deep dives! Also can attest to Randall's artistry, after seeing his work on your channel I commissioned him for 3x character portraits and they are amazing!
Wanted to mention you made it sound like inspiring leader can only be used once per short rest. You can use inspiring leader as many times as you want. However the people affected by it can only be affected by it once per short rest. Useful for bigger groups
NGL, I've wanted to play in a campaign that the party was more or less based on the A-Team since I was in grade school and your intro just reminded me of that. One day.
This is my favorite build ever! I will definitely be playing it! I did a magic focused clock Sorc w/ order cleric dip “Strategist” build but I like this one better.
My battlefield commander, a halfling mercenary veteran named Commander Grizby, gave an enthralling performance that was an Aragorn style pep talk before a major invasion hit our walls. The king had betrayed the people of the city and wanted them to lay down arms and let the invaders pass, and my performance vastly outshined his speech, so the soldiers basically booed him back to his palace to sulk while we readied the fortifications. He's a Battlemaster 6, Glamour Bard 8, and he gives out tons of temp HP, increases max HP, remakes formations on the fly, and even gives orders to enemies. Such a fun character, lol. I hadn't even considered the Order Domain Cleric though. That feature is so damn cool.
I've been binge watching your videos recently and so far this one is my favourite. I love to play characters like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket and this is how I picture it! (except for the hobgoblin part). P.S.: I love you too
Thanks for a great video. I personally prefer my battlefield commander to be on the frontline, rallying the party around them. I also like them to make their own contribution to the battle in addition to buffing the party. Here is my build:
- Kobold race for Draconic Cry. Why “help” one ally when you can give advantage to everyone, including yourself. Plus the buff against fear fits the theme. - Watcher Paladin 7 for all the pally combat abilities and two great auras to buff everyone around you. - Glamour Bard 3 - Order Domain 1 - maybe Hexblade 1 to attack with CHA. Attack with your action and then use your bonus action each turn to either cast Healing Word + Commanders Strike, Draconic Cry to give everyone advantage or Mantle of Inspiration.
In my combat oriented (but not very coordinated) party I started as a full support character: a bard from the college of lore with a one-level-dip in cleric (life) to keep them alive as long as possible. (This decision was made after a total party wipe out...) But your battlefield commander is a brilliant build and I take a lot of inspiration from this. Thx
I've been doing builds on D&D Beyond with the new Hobgoblin trying to create a Warlord-type character since the book launched on there-that was the big takeaway from MOM for me was that I could make a fun Mastermind Rogue Hobgoblin, so I'm super glad to see I'm not the only one. I think with the build I've tuned, I would ultimately go with Lore Bard as it lets you grab a few hard-to-get spells and Cutting Words-for me it came down to really wanting a reaction option that could help my allies in addition to the Interception fighting style, but I went melee whip instead of ranged. I've been trying to figure out the best way to grab an owl familiar, because that extra Help action every round comes in handy (the prototype for this character comes from my Descent Into Avernus Bladesinger that had Mastermind Rogue levels and would toss out two Help actions every round). What I landed on was either grabbing Magic Initiate (which was my least favorite, as the build doesn't have much room for feats), dipping Warlock for Chain (and, if you go Hexblade, you can make weapon attacks with Charisma in addition to the best attack cantrip in the game; this is probably my preferred option), or if Strixhaven is allowed, you could grab the background and free feat. With Strixhaven, Quandrix is the best choice I think for the theme and if you plan on taking the mascot feat the Fractal is the coolest option for the familiar (but less easy to use than an owl or imp); Lorehold gets access to Spirit Guardians which can be nice, but Quandrix gets Haste and Aura of Vitality which, again, are more on theme. In the end, I think I went with: Mastermind Rogue 3/Lore Bard 6/Order Cleric 1/Clockwork Soul Sorcerer 1/Battlemaster Fighter 6/Hexblade Pact of the Chain Warlock 3 for the full 20 levels (I'd save the last 3 levels of fighter for last as I didn't really prioritize being able to attack on the character too much). This character has a ton of utility: bonus action help (and other good options), familiar help, buffs and minor healing with riders, battlemaster maneuvers for utility, forced movement, and reaction defenses.
I love that you mentioned the A-Team; when you were talking about the concept, I immediately thought of Hannibal, especially the Liam Neeson version...makes me want to play an A-Team themed campaign with a barbarian, rogue/bard (or warlock?), and in all reality I envision Murdoch as a wild magic sorcerer, though thematically he's probably better as like an artillerist or something.
I love your build soooo much . In many support build you are still relying on having good teammates but not with this one , you make them good no matter what .
Been enjoying every bit of your content I watch since I came across your stuff. This support character is my favourite so far and would love to see more! Especially a magic & nature themed support (buff/debuff and battlefield control) build. If that included sorcerer I'd pee myself with excitement!
Your choice of the Glamour college is a great fit thematically as well, as it refers to fey magic called Glamour that very well reflects the fey origins of the hobgoblin race you chose
Another reason for the Order Cleric levels could be that, as time passes along the campaign, a deity which either another player follows or has connections to a deity with a relationship to theirs notices you and your devotion to being a commander and tactician, and decides to inspire more of it in you. I think something like that helps give a better reason as to why you suddenly become more magical.
I had just started a notebook with builds for a Zeitgeist campaign and I was trying to figure out what to do with the Docker theme and options I was looking at were a Mom's Hobgoblin Mastermind/Battlemaster, Order Cleric/Mastermind, or a Glamour or Eloquence Bard and here this build incorporates it all!
Loved how you described this as its own class. I view multiclassing as “legal home brewing” for the players. Also cool how this build makes optimal use of subclasses and abilities not viewed as optimal to achieve optimal flavor and the goal of the build.
My favourite build you did wih the pokemon trainer. Same vibe of backline strategist with no damage focus. So refreshing for dnd ! Plus I'm a fan of low fantasy so I love every build where magic is flavoured with realistic stuff. I'm definitely trying this.
there is also the option of going 6 lvls into star druid instead of bard for the cosmic omen feature since that is reaction based but it is only a d6, giving you something extra to do per round as i think you'll be very bonus action starved with this particular setup
Oh my God I didn't even think of the Blackthorn until you mentioned it! Forgot you were a Sanderson fan!! Ik what I'm playing if my current character dies. Lol
I've been playing a character with 10 in all stats (rolled stats). He is a commoner who decided to take gear he found on the streets and help adventurers throught out the world. Started as a level 3 Battlemaster. Currently at level 16 and I will say: having 10 in all stats at level 16 and making your build all about helping your party has been one of the most fun experiences I've ever had in DnD. Hope I can get him to 20, where he will have done his mission: prove that a commoner can live alongside the adventurers of the world.
The main thing Ive used is commander's strike. My party usually has a rogue or a burst nova build, so I get make them do their job even when they are not on their turn.
Thank you for making this as I was JUST struggling to come up with a WIS based buffer/controller that doesn’t have the OP stigma of Twilight/Peace. Will really dig in and customize around the awesome backstory I have already come up with.
I LOVE this kind of full-support oriented characters. And what you've done with this one is quite amazing actually, I'd love to play it on the occasion... perhaps should I start right now ?
Love this focus on battlefield control, especially from non-spellcasting focused classes. It's one of the things I've found most interesting about the latest Giant-focused Unearthed Arcana!
Mechanically speaking, this may be my favorite of your builds to date. It seems like a blast to play. Personally, I’m not a fan of the Hobgoblin for flavor reasons, but I can’t fault the build at all.
This is so cool! Last weekend i started making a character based on the new hobgoblin, with the exact same concept and i went pure warwizard, i was contemplating 1 level dip of ordercleric, but decided againstnit since there were two clerics in the party already. Then i focused soelely on support spells taking zero direct damage spells, vortex warp, web, levitate, sleetstorm, fear, private sanctum, polymorph, sickening radiance, resilient sphere. And ofcourse having the telekinetic feat.
I'm enjoying the early levels of a similar build and the interception fighting style has enhanced the experience. Rolling the die and saying 'You take X less damage' every turn or two really adds to the feeling that you're contributing to the team. Being on the front line may also be useful for any rogues needing a combat buddy.
Years ago now, I built a PC for a one shot variation of Dead in Thay that started at 9th level. I decided this concept was exactly what I wanted. I built a Hobgoblin Warlord. 5th level Oathbreaker/4 level lorebard. He was lawful evil and he negotiated the party out of about 75 percent of the combat encounters. It was amazing.
I ran a level 8 one shot with an DM PC that was a Rogue 3 (Mastermind), Fighter 5 (Battlemaster) and boy did he let my players shine. Between the help action, battle maneuvers and daunting roar (Leonin) he kept the party hitting hard and they loved it. At no point did he steal the limelight and it was a great way to help guide them in a one off session.
@@voodoophil It's a bit more complicated and definitely has a lot more power creep, but also can be more rewarding imo. There's a lot more versatility in how you can build your characters and cross-class, and having the force and tech powers as like their own spell systems with "power levels" feels pretty cool It really just feels like a bunch of people played 5e, thought about how they'd re-work systems, and then added a Star Wars flair to it with droids, ships, blaster mechanics, force and tech oh my
Super happy to see the double Voice of Authority some of us have barked about. That being said, I do wish this had been more of a caster (already a battlefield commander by most standards). I would have liked a Clockwork Soul Sorcerer with more focus on initiative. I really don't think your version is going to win initiative enough, and I think you sacrifice too much action economy. I did enjoy seeing the hobgoblin used. Might borrow that. I built my first version to mainly drop CC, twin Haste, and hit Voice of Authority as much as possible. The DM forced me to change those tactics, but a Clockwork Soul has access to so much stuff. Make a caster version!
I love this build. I immediately thought of Kenneth Branagh in Henry V. He gives amazing speeches both in and out of combat and it fits perfectly with this build idea. He's a Shakespearean fighter!
I am currently playing this type of character and almost went this exact build - Same race, same classes planned for the most part... Started Bard though and went Spirits Bard and tool Strixhaven Initiate to get Find Familiar off the bat; then Cleric; then mastermind... not high enough yet to round out with Maneuvers but thats next on the list! It is an AWESOME build!
You built a Mediator from Final Fantasy Tactics. Well done sir. This build would be a ton of fun in a larger party of like 5-8 members total. Give a general Patton like speech before a fight and help your troops (allies) destroy everything in front of them.
This build would be excellent for a player who is playing a group of newbies. I also enjoy optimizing the un-optimal. Buffing other characters is a great way to build a team and compensate for any newb mistakes. The Hobgoblin, Rouge/Mastermind start seems more chaotic aligned. After battlemaster, I expected you add bard. The Cleric was interesting, I like it. Nice build.
Errata: Fortune of the Many is pbtpd not per short rest :).
Mary Pffffd to you too sir
Raspberries per day!
@@Redkazyn pthbtbtb!
Now go away or I shall Errata you a second time!
@@NodHero 🤣🤣
Casting Polymorph with this more martial flavoured build would be like "You change your anatomical structure solider and you do it now!" And then some body horror happens.
"If i say become a bird you better grow some wings am i understood private?"
@@shadow-faye I love this lmao
I read this is R. Lee Ermey's voice. I think he would approve.
And your presence is such that it doesn't even register to other people as magic. It just _happens._
Beginning of video: This’ll probably be a bard.
End of video: Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
Permanent DM here. I love using these builds as bosses against my party of 6! If you’re ever short on ideas, I would love to see videos that use some of these as builds for encounters for DMs.
Ex. This Battlefield Commander Hobgoblin, guarded by two pole arm bugbear, and a couple needler goblins riding wargs, wreaking havoc on our players.
Level 1:(see above) [rogue 1 & race]
Level 2:(see above) [rogue 2]
Level 3:(@15:12) [rogue 3 & sub-class]
Level 4:(@18:14) [fighter 1 & fighting-style]
Level 5:(@19:56) [fighter 2]
Level 6:(@20:19) [fighter 3 & sub-class]
Level 7:(see above) [fighter 4 & ASI]
Level 8:(@25:31) [fighter 5]
Level 9:(@27:17) [cleric 1 & sub-class]
Level 10:(see above) [bard 1]
Level 11:(@38:04) [bard 2]
Level 12:(@38:51) [bard 3 & sub-class]
Level 13:(@43:51) [bard 4 & ASI]
Level 14:(see above) [bard 5]
Level 15:(@47:41) [bard 6]
Level 16:(@49:22) [fighter 6 & ASI]
Level 17:(@) [fighter 7]
If you want the MoM thing to catch on you need a gimmick.
Suggestion: When you announce the race, use a line like "This isn't any old regular Hobgoblin, this is your MoM's Hobgoblin!"
"These aren't your grandfather's monsters, these are your MoM's monsters."
This character is what I imagine the Warlord was like in previous editions of D&D. Cool build!
“Murdock the leader of the A-Team”
My nerdrage shot through the roof.
Yes. Hanibal would beg to difer, ty my good sir!
Mine too when I saw my mistake.
I pity the fool that can't tell the difference. 😜
@@DnDDeepDive No lie though, the first time I saw your channel way back, I did a double take because you kinda look like Face
This is the second A team reference in a couple weeks too
Thanks!
Hey thanks! 🥰🥰
I've been playing a battlemaster 5/order cleric 3 with inspiring leader and he's a blast. Giving attacks to the rogue, paladin and barbarian is just awesome. One of my favorite strategies is casting bless, so the paladin or barbarian can attack with an extra d4, then action surge for extra attack. First attack is distracting strike and then commander's strike, so the rogue can have advantage and a d4 to land his sneak attack.
As an order cleric, if you bless the rogue, you can have the rogue attack as its reaction right?
@@andrewh5212 Absolutely. I just do this to also give an attack to someone else in the same turn. One attack from bless and another one from commander's strike.
The problem with your videos is that I always get inspired and want to play them!
Keep up the great work, we love you
This is why I DM!
I'm not saying I played an Armorer shortly after one of his videos. I'm also not saying that my friend and I are playing a Centaur Rogue and Custom Lineage Fighter in our Tomb of Annihilation campaign we just started after watching the Mount & Blade two-parter (which we nicknamed Strider & Rider).
But I'm also NOT not saying those things...
Commanding strike + order domain using reaction spell spells like silvery barbs, makes your rogue a great stab machine.
At 34:52 when you said most of us have a lute , I laughed thinking about my Bugbear Bard with his +1 adamantine reinforced lute . It functions as a club but gives a loud bonk when he hits someone with it .
🤣
Currently in character building mode… I was so close to making an armorer. So close. Now I’m gonna end up undecided again.
Is there such as thing as not being in character building mode? I have 40 characters on D&DBeyond, most of which will never see play. :P
I think my most effective character to date combined buffing/debuffing, control, and secondary tanking and healing. When the enemy has trouble moving or hitting, any summoned wall or creature can present insurmountable barriers to damaging players. And when players can hit back unhindered, usually buffed, the monsters went away fast.
Armorer is pretty great, I recommend it. Just reached Level 9 with mine. Does run into the problem of having so few spell levels and slots, and a limited list of spells / damage types. At one point in level 7 / 8, I felt a little useless for several combat encounters when the monsters were all resistant to thunder and acid damage (I'm mainly in Defender Arcane armor mode), with Caustic Brew as a commonly used damage-over-time. But I'm finding ways to diversify. And now that I hit level 9 there's much better options available in the spell list!
I love how you went back to fighter. It definitely keeps it feeling from being a caster, especially if the DM is will you let you flavor spells as inspiring words or battle cries.
You never cease to amaze me with the concepts. Thank you!
Played this today for a lvl 20 one shot. No one had any idea what I was going to be playing. It was fantastic! Had a lot of fun with this. Thank you for all that work you put into it.
This character is literally Star Lord from the guardians of the galaxy game. Orders people around while doing ranged attacks then gives great speeches to inspire the gang.
His Bard artistic style is dance battles!
I loved that episode. I really hope that you'll make more characters like this. Although numerical comparison has its own appeal, I love the flavour of this one. PS: Never stop putting the outtakes in. They are always great. ❤
This is a character I really feel inspired by (pun intended!) I especially enjoy the emphasis on staying true to the concept without crunching every number in comparison to other builds while still building a powerful character. Great stuff, Colby :-)
This is my favorite build you’ve done to-date!
Such a quirky build. I love this channel so much, but this was an unexpected breath of fresh air. A character that was so focused on a theme and not holding itself to numbers. Love it.
Particularly dear to my heart because I played a similar idea a while back. A young and aspiring Half Orc general who inspired his teammates by striding valiantly to the front and meeting the enemy while shouting out encouragement.
Did 3 Battlemaster and then started in on Lore Bard (although I was SEVERELY tempted to go Galmour) only played to level 6, but such fun. My teammates were a Swashbuckler and a Vengeance Paladin, so they made great use of Commanders Strike. I would stride forward in shining plate mail and use my expertise in Athletics to grapple and slam enemies to the ground for them as the tank.
Def would love to see more of these kinda builds! Ultimate crowd controller? Loving it! Another!
Came for the builds, stayed for the positivity!
I had a similar build idea (a Warhammer 40K commissar as motivation) but it consisted of whisper bard 6, battle master 3, Paladin 2, and 9 order cleric.
The opening round of casting bless as a bonus action, attacking twice and smiting, maneuvering, and using the bards psychic blades on someone made it theoretically feel like they were leading by example.
This is great inspiration. I was already working on a mastermind/battlemaster. Hes an agent/tactician who is specifically designed to be amazing at finding things and noticing flaws in the enemy ranks. Perfect combo of support and damage. This video is great help in making him functional
I wanna commission with Randall so bad, man. He’s so popular, his commissions are never open! He kills it every time.
Hearing about Sarge makes me wanna play this my next game.
I feel you dude... I have so many characters I would happily pay Randall to draw!
But of course we respect that he has to take time in his work... even if it hurts to see them closed every time xD
I think MOTM has released this channel from the grip of Custom Lineage. This is what, the 4th video in a row using the new versions of races in the book?
Silvery Barbs on an order cleric is insane. Because using Voice of Authority they can attack immediately, because the Silvery Barbs spell affected them. And they get to do so with advantage.
NEED another rogue in the party, preferably straight rogue so you can proc that sweet sweet sneak attack damage twice per round.
I was literally starting to build a Hobgoblin order Cleric/Bard battlefield commander about a week ago. We must be on the same wavelength!
Awesome build! I love this kind of support character, and I’m brimming with inspiration after watching this. Thank you!!
Alternative to the 34 min point of bard orator, you could also go for something like the character having battle drums, horn or even battle standard that doubles as a magical theremin (that when the wind blows or shifts causes the interference crackle/essentially cannon boom rather than having to smack a antenna some form of resonator).
I love this addition. Musical instruments were often used in historical battles to give orders and such, so it works really well here. Using a horn to signal your allies to strike, just great. Apparently bagpipes were also used like this, so don't sleep on the opportunity to inspire fear and confidence like a Scottish highlander.
This is o é of your most sophisticated builds and definitely not for the feint of heart or newly initiated. That being said I think this would be a really fun build to play in my current campaign that has 4 other players who are not very experienced and this would let me help them be the best they could be and not steal the show.
I could also see this as a really good NPC that is used to help guide the party. Kind of a Gandulf who doesn't get involved in combat but directs things on the right path.
An awesome build
This is what I was looking for. Thank you! It seems you already had this character. I really enjoy your content and look forward to Tuesdays. Keep up the great work!
20:20 With fighter and the bugbear feature, you can you an action to help one ally, use a bonus action to help another ally and then action surge to help another ally. Helping 3 people during one turn! How wild 😂
Wrong goblinoid
I would love to see you build a character built around using the “unconventional” tools and gear such as grappling hooks, caltrops, ball bearings, flasks/vials of holy water/alchemist fire, oil, acid, etc for their battlefield “weapons”. As well as having and using numerous tools and equipment for outside of combat utility options.
I may be the only person who wants to see a build like this but.. Oh well.. I have to ask. Haha
Will put it on the to do list!
@@DnDDeepDive Awesome! Cant wait!
Use this with the guild artisan background so you can have an angry barista throwing molotov cocktails left and right.
Net fighter, net fighter should be a concept :p
Played a version of this build yesterday (lvl 10, Rogue 4/Bard 5/Cleric 1). Five Lvl10s against a Hellfire Engine. I dealt not a single point of damage, but both the Paladin and the Rogue greatly appreciated being able to move (Mantle of Inspiration) or attack (Voice of Authority) on my turn, as well as the constant stream of temp HP. Hell the Paladin even made the kill by attacking with advantage, on my turn, through a bonus action Fey Gift of Hospitality followed by Cure Wounds proccing Voice of Authority. Thanks very much for sharing this one, I can definitively say that it's a blast to run.
I just want to say thank you for making these videos! I always look forward to watching these builds!
That "Blackthorn" comment got me for a bit, but then I remembered that you read Stormlight. And yeah, he's a storming great battlefield commander.
A lovely and very original build that implies a clever use of your turns and big amount of team work. Totally amazing! 😍
Love everything about this character, Colby. In fact, you've just inspired the build for one of the main antagonists in my campaign - think Gus Fring as an ends justify the means, St Cuthbert cult leader, trying to terraform a desert into an oasis.
Your work building brilliant characters is obviously top tier, but this alternative kind of character, more narratively leaning almost, has illuminated your craft in a very new inspiring way.
Much obliged, my friend.
Peace
Love your content, and thank you for never changing your speech pacing. You are perfect to listen to at 1.25 speed.
Alright. I’ve watch a few of these builds now. I’m enjoying the content, but that’s not why I can back. Dude’s voice is butter. It’s like ASMR
😊
Colby, I hope your channel only gets bigger. Your content is great and I look forward to your newest build every week.
I've seen someone bait and switch an enemy and shove that same enemy of a cliff. It was glorious! This character feels like a variation on a paladin build, or subclass.
Dude I didn't think I'd like this build this much but I'd love to play this character it sounds so much fun
I am so glad I found your channel. I had seen the D&D:O logo for a while and was a little put off by it, but d4 drew me in and I never looked back.
I’ve been hyped for your next video, then even more with the shorts upload and I absolutely love this!
Thanks Colby, love you too
I was just building a character for a game designed around our group doing heists and two players are playing goblin and bugbear so I decided to theme with them as a hobgoblin and and wanted to play a tactician like character, so I started building my character this same way starting with mastermind and going battle master. I Got stuck on where to go with it then you released this video. Thank you for getting me unstuck!
What a spectacular mix of support features. I dig it!
YES!!!! THATS the type of character concept I wished to delve into for so long!! THANK YOU!!
when you get the heavy armor proficiency, you definitely should get plate asap cause you should have a horse by now a be riding it as often as possible for both thematic and mechanical reasons. I mean basically every piece of art depicting a military commander in history is on a horse.
I really like the idea of using inspiring leader during a short rest. You can flavor it as, going around and giving personal words of encouragement, rather than a big bombastic speech.
Instade of useing the comand spell from Mantle of Majesty on an enemy you could use it on your alley saying something like "attack" or "advice" they can choose to fail the save and get a reaction attack with Voice of Authority then attack or move on their turn, which they were going to do anyway.
I have been playing a similar build for about 1 year and listening you talk about it is just so reassuring, thank you
one detail though: think that bardic inspiration is proactive and that requires much more tactical thinking, in contrast artificer flash of genius is reactive and it covers one of the things that the build lacks a little bit: saving throws
I've build my battle field commander as a fighter 3/order cleric 1/alchemist 9
my healing word had 2 * int modifier, and whenever a friend rolled bad on a save, I could add +5 to their save
alchemist was the odd ball, I could have gone with artillerist for the defense turret, but that competes with healing word, so alchemist was thematically better for me, the 2d6 temp HP from the potion was nice and now and then I got a good effect like extra speed or +1 AC so my party members could buff before a fight (provided we knew we were about to storm the BBEG room)
Love these deep dives! Also can attest to Randall's artistry, after seeing his work on your channel I commissioned him for 3x character portraits and they are amazing!
46:00 I didn't expect a Stormlight reference here, but I am not disappointed. Life before death, radiant.
This is unique, creative and awesome! Thank you for doing what you do!
Wanted to mention you made it sound like inspiring leader can only be used once per short rest. You can use inspiring leader as many times as you want. However the people affected by it can only be affected by it once per short rest. Useful for bigger groups
NGL, I've wanted to play in a campaign that the party was more or less based on the A-Team since I was in grade school and your intro just reminded me of that. One day.
This is my favorite build ever! I will definitely be playing it! I did a magic focused clock Sorc w/ order cleric dip “Strategist” build but I like this one better.
My battlefield commander, a halfling mercenary veteran named Commander Grizby, gave an enthralling performance that was an Aragorn style pep talk before a major invasion hit our walls. The king had betrayed the people of the city and wanted them to lay down arms and let the invaders pass, and my performance vastly outshined his speech, so the soldiers basically booed him back to his palace to sulk while we readied the fortifications.
He's a Battlemaster 6, Glamour Bard 8, and he gives out tons of temp HP, increases max HP, remakes formations on the fly, and even gives orders to enemies. Such a fun character, lol. I hadn't even considered the Order Domain Cleric though. That feature is so damn cool.
I've been binge watching your videos recently and so far this one is my favourite. I love to play characters like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket and this is how I picture it! (except for the hobgoblin part).
P.S.: I love you too
Amazing work!!! that character is surely going to be played by me... Thanks Colby!
Thanks for a great video. I personally prefer my battlefield commander to be on the frontline, rallying the party around them. I also like them to make their own contribution to the battle in addition to buffing the party. Here is my build:
- Kobold race for Draconic Cry. Why “help” one ally when you can give advantage to everyone, including yourself. Plus the buff against fear fits the theme.
- Watcher Paladin 7 for all the pally combat abilities and two great auras to buff everyone around you.
- Glamour Bard 3
- Order Domain 1
- maybe Hexblade 1 to attack with CHA.
Attack with your action and then use your bonus action each turn to either cast Healing Word + Commanders Strike, Draconic Cry to give everyone advantage or Mantle of Inspiration.
In my combat oriented (but not very coordinated) party I started as a full support character: a bard from the college of lore with a one-level-dip in cleric (life) to keep them alive as long as possible. (This decision was made after a total party wipe out...) But your battlefield commander is a brilliant build and I take a lot of inspiration from this.
Thx
I've been doing builds on D&D Beyond with the new Hobgoblin trying to create a Warlord-type character since the book launched on there-that was the big takeaway from MOM for me was that I could make a fun Mastermind Rogue Hobgoblin, so I'm super glad to see I'm not the only one. I think with the build I've tuned, I would ultimately go with Lore Bard as it lets you grab a few hard-to-get spells and Cutting Words-for me it came down to really wanting a reaction option that could help my allies in addition to the Interception fighting style, but I went melee whip instead of ranged. I've been trying to figure out the best way to grab an owl familiar, because that extra Help action every round comes in handy (the prototype for this character comes from my Descent Into Avernus Bladesinger that had Mastermind Rogue levels and would toss out two Help actions every round). What I landed on was either grabbing Magic Initiate (which was my least favorite, as the build doesn't have much room for feats), dipping Warlock for Chain (and, if you go Hexblade, you can make weapon attacks with Charisma in addition to the best attack cantrip in the game; this is probably my preferred option), or if Strixhaven is allowed, you could grab the background and free feat. With Strixhaven, Quandrix is the best choice I think for the theme and if you plan on taking the mascot feat the Fractal is the coolest option for the familiar (but less easy to use than an owl or imp); Lorehold gets access to Spirit Guardians which can be nice, but Quandrix gets Haste and Aura of Vitality which, again, are more on theme.
In the end, I think I went with: Mastermind Rogue 3/Lore Bard 6/Order Cleric 1/Clockwork Soul Sorcerer 1/Battlemaster Fighter 6/Hexblade Pact of the Chain Warlock 3 for the full 20 levels (I'd save the last 3 levels of fighter for last as I didn't really prioritize being able to attack on the character too much). This character has a ton of utility: bonus action help (and other good options), familiar help, buffs and minor healing with riders, battlemaster maneuvers for utility, forced movement, and reaction defenses.
I love that you mentioned the A-Team; when you were talking about the concept, I immediately thought of Hannibal, especially the Liam Neeson version...makes me want to play an A-Team themed campaign with a barbarian, rogue/bard (or warlock?), and in all reality I envision Murdoch as a wild magic sorcerer, though thematically he's probably better as like an artillerist or something.
I love your build soooo much . In many support build you are still relying on having good teammates but not with this one , you make them good no matter what .
Been enjoying every bit of your content I watch since I came across your stuff. This support character is my favourite so far and would love to see more! Especially a magic & nature themed support (buff/debuff and battlefield control) build. If that included sorcerer I'd pee myself with excitement!
Your choice of the Glamour college is a great fit thematically as well, as it refers to fey magic called Glamour that very well reflects the fey origins of the hobgoblin race you chose
54:36 and we love you too, Mr Colby!
Amazing!! You just masterfully created Nate from Leverage! 😃
Another reason for the Order Cleric levels could be that, as time passes along the campaign, a deity which either another player follows or has connections to a deity with a relationship to theirs notices you and your devotion to being a commander and tactician, and decides to inspire more of it in you. I think something like that helps give a better reason as to why you suddenly become more magical.
Like the Forgotten Realms Red Knight maybe? 🙂
I had just started a notebook with builds for a Zeitgeist campaign and I was trying to figure out what to do with the Docker theme and options I was looking at were a Mom's Hobgoblin Mastermind/Battlemaster, Order Cleric/Mastermind, or a Glamour or Eloquence Bard and here this build incorporates it all!
Loved how you described this as its own class. I view multiclassing as “legal home brewing” for the players. Also cool how this build makes optimal use of subclasses and abilities not viewed as optimal to achieve optimal flavor and the goal of the build.
What a delight! Thought provoking and inspired
My favourite build you did wih the pokemon trainer. Same vibe of backline strategist with no damage focus. So refreshing for dnd ! Plus I'm a fan of low fantasy so I love every build where magic is flavoured with realistic stuff. I'm definitely trying this.
there is also the option of going 6 lvls into star druid instead of bard for the cosmic omen feature since that is reaction based but it is only a d6, giving you something extra to do per round as i think you'll be very bonus action starved with this particular setup
Oh my God I didn't even think of the Blackthorn until you mentioned it! Forgot you were a Sanderson fan!! Ik what I'm playing if my current character dies. Lol
I've been playing a character with 10 in all stats (rolled stats). He is a commoner who decided to take gear he found on the streets and help adventurers throught out the world.
Started as a level 3 Battlemaster. Currently at level 16 and I will say: having 10 in all stats at level 16 and making your build all about helping your party has been one of the most fun experiences I've ever had in DnD.
Hope I can get him to 20, where he will have done his mission: prove that a commoner can live alongside the adventurers of the world.
The main thing Ive used is commander's strike. My party usually has a rogue or a burst nova build, so I get make them do their job even when they are not on their turn.
Thank you for making this as I was JUST struggling to come up with a WIS based buffer/controller that doesn’t have the OP stigma of Twilight/Peace.
Will really dig in and customize around the awesome backstory I have already come up with.
I LOVE this kind of full-support oriented characters. And what you've done with this one is quite amazing actually, I'd love to play it on the occasion... perhaps should I start right now ?
Love this focus on battlefield control, especially from non-spellcasting focused classes. It's one of the things I've found most interesting about the latest Giant-focused Unearthed Arcana!
Mechanically speaking, this may be my favorite of your builds to date. It seems like a blast to play. Personally, I’m not a fan of the Hobgoblin for flavor reasons, but I can’t fault the build at all.
This is so cool! Last weekend i started making a character based on the new hobgoblin, with the exact same concept and i went pure warwizard, i was contemplating 1 level dip of ordercleric, but decided againstnit since there were two clerics in the party already. Then i focused soelely on support spells taking zero direct damage spells, vortex warp, web, levitate, sleetstorm, fear, private sanctum, polymorph, sickening radiance, resilient sphere. And ofcourse having the telekinetic feat.
I'm enjoying the early levels of a similar build and the interception fighting style has enhanced the experience. Rolling the die and saying 'You take X less damage' every turn or two really adds to the feeling that you're contributing to the team. Being on the front line may also be useful for any rogues needing a combat buddy.
Never stop doing your hyper optimised dpr or tank builds but I'd also love seeing more of these more niche characters that have a more abstract role
Years ago now, I built a PC for a one shot variation of Dead in Thay that started at 9th level. I decided this concept was exactly what I wanted. I built a Hobgoblin Warlord. 5th level Oathbreaker/4 level lorebard. He was lawful evil and he negotiated the party out of about 75 percent of the combat encounters. It was amazing.
I ran a level 8 one shot with an DM PC that was a Rogue 3 (Mastermind), Fighter 5 (Battlemaster) and boy did he let my players shine. Between the help action, battle maneuvers and daunting roar (Leonin) he kept the party hitting hard and they loved it. At no point did he steal the limelight and it was a great way to help guide them in a one off session.
That's a great idea! Might steal that.
@@MalloonTarka please do!
I played a character like this in a Star Wars 5e game (Stormtrooper commander) and it was awesome
@@voodoophil It's a bit more complicated and definitely has a lot more power creep, but also can be more rewarding imo. There's a lot more versatility in how you can build your characters and cross-class, and having the force and tech powers as like their own spell systems with "power levels" feels pretty cool
It really just feels like a bunch of people played 5e, thought about how they'd re-work systems, and then added a Star Wars flair to it with droids, ships, blaster mechanics, force and tech oh my
Super happy to see the double Voice of Authority some of us have barked about.
That being said, I do wish this had been more of a caster (already a battlefield commander by most standards). I would have liked a Clockwork Soul Sorcerer with more focus on initiative. I really don't think your version is going to win initiative enough, and I think you sacrifice too much action economy. I did enjoy seeing the hobgoblin used. Might borrow that.
I built my first version to mainly drop CC, twin Haste, and hit Voice of Authority as much as possible. The DM forced me to change those tactics, but a Clockwork Soul has access to so much stuff. Make a caster version!
Very cool build! I just love this Hobgoblin though. Can't wait to make use of it!
I love this build. I immediately thought of Kenneth Branagh in Henry V. He gives amazing speeches both in and out of combat and it fits perfectly with this build idea. He's a Shakespearean fighter!
Once more unto the breach dear friends!
I am currently playing this type of character and almost went this exact build - Same race, same classes planned for the most part... Started Bard though and went Spirits Bard and tool Strixhaven Initiate to get Find Familiar off the bat; then Cleric; then mastermind... not high enough yet to round out with Maneuvers but thats next on the list! It is an AWESOME build!
as a big three kingdoms head, this sates my zhuge liang/sima yi hunger. and i haven’t even got to the build. u the best
I love this build. Seems like fun to play
You built a Mediator from Final Fantasy Tactics. Well done sir. This build would be a ton of fun in a larger party of like 5-8 members total. Give a general Patton like speech before a fight and help your troops (allies) destroy everything in front of them.
This build would be excellent for a player who is playing a group of newbies. I also enjoy optimizing the un-optimal.
Buffing other characters is a great way to build a team and compensate for any newb mistakes.
The Hobgoblin, Rouge/Mastermind start seems more chaotic aligned. After battlemaster, I expected you add bard.
The Cleric was interesting, I like it. Nice build.
Your dnd videos are informative and entertaining to watch!
I’m able to use your vids as a meditation aid everyday. Thanks